TAS Tax Tips for Tax Pros: Earned Income Credit Tools and Information

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) rules are complex and helping clients claim this and other refundable credits is sometimes a challenge. That is especially true while performing the Due Diligence steps needed for returns you prepare and advising clients under audit circumstances. Here are a few EITC quick reference tips, along with information on a new tool for assistance during EITC audit situa...

TAS Tax Tip: Payment and Penalty Relief Options

Tax time can be especially tough if taxes are owed with your tax return and even harder if penalties and interest are charged. Our website’s Get Help pages have a wealth of information about various payment options and will guide you through why penalties are charged and, when appropriate, how to request a reversal of those charges, along with steps you can take to avoid the same issues n...

NTA Blog: Expanding Pay-As-You-Earn Tax Collection Could Bring Significant Benefits

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog Imagine it’s tax filing season. You’re dreading figuring out your tax liability this year, because in the last few years you’ve been earning sporadi...

TAS Tax Tip: Correcting tax returns, if you made a mistake or forgot to file

If you make a mistake on your taxes, do you know what to do and how to correct the mistake? There are many options on how to fix a mistake on your tax return, depending on whether you received a notice and the kind of mistake you made. If you simply forgot to file, and have a filing requirement, you should file right away as there are consequences. No IRS Notice Received Yet If you need to make...

NTA Blog: The IRS Should Redesign Its Notices Using Psychological, Cognitive, and Behavioral Science Insights to Protect Taxpayer Rights, Enhance Taxpayer Understanding, and Reduce Taxpayer Burden

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog With the filing season in full operation, many taxpayers are receiving correspondence from the IRS that convey significant taxpayer rights and require taxpayers to ta...

TAS Tax Tip: Filing, Requesting an Extension of Time to File and Payment Options

The tax return filing deadline is almost here. Have you filed yet? The filing deadline to submit 2018 tax returns is Monday, April 15, 2019 for most taxpayers. Because of the Patriots’ Day holiday on April 15 in Maine and Massachusetts and the Emancipation Day holiday on April 16 in the District of Columbia, taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 17, 2019 to file th...

NTA Blog: IRS Efforts to Improve the EITC Improper Payment Rate Harm Taxpayers While Overlooking the Roles of Taxpayer Education and Paid Tax Preparers

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the primary forms of public assistance for low income working taxpayers.  However, the EITC is associated with a hi...

TAS Tax Tip: It’s Always a Good time to Check Your Tax Withholding

Finished with your 2018 tax return? If you are, and even if you are not, now might be a good time to check your tax withholding amount for this year, 2019, by doing a paycheck check-up now so you have the right amount of taxes withheld in your paycheck each week. No one likes surprises come tax time and this will hopefully eliminate the chance of any surprise. Why check it at all? The...

NTA Blog: Fraud Detection Filters: Recent Changes in the IRS Fraud Detection Program May Reduce Taxpayer Burden While Continuing to Stop Fraudulent Refunds

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog. Over the years I have repeatedly raised concerns regarding the IRS’s Identity Theft (IDT) and non-IDT refund fraud programs. Most recently I expressed these co...

NTA Blog: FREE FILE: The Free File Program Is Failing to Achieve Its Objectives and Should be Substantially Improved or Eliminated

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog. In this week’s blog, I highlight my concerns with the IRS Free File program, which I also discussed in my 2018 Annual Report to Congress and my recent testimon...